


Welcome to the Gospel of Dismay

by Feenie



Category: Devilman (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Body Horror, Crybaby Universe, Everybody Lives, Fix-It of Sorts, Friendship, Gen, Inspired by Music, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Spoilers, Supernatural Elements, Time Loop, and sirene doesn't count, devilman crybaby pacifist route, how long can i go without titty monsters, so many music references
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-20
Updated: 2018-01-30
Packaged: 2019-03-07 01:59:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13424304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Feenie/pseuds/Feenie
Summary: Akira gets the feeling he's done all this before. Miki refuses to stay on the sidelines. Ryo is still an idiot.An attempt to fix this timeline.(alternatively: Devilman Gospel, I guess)





	1. Let's hope this time you can get this band back together again

**Author's Note:**

> hi I'm feenie, and I have no idea how to write these characters even after watching the entire series
> 
> please forgive me devilman fandom, i swear i'm doing my best
> 
> anyways if you have no idea what goes on in devilman, spoilers ahoy! go watch crybaby on netflix if you're 18+ or just look up a summary of the manga. heed any warnings you see.
> 
> also dear god i'm sorry for all the fucking. gospel of dismay/other song references in this fic

‘ _Humanity is weak. They’re fragile, easily ripped apart. The only thing truly setting them apart from other animals is the capacity to think and feel. And yet even that can lead to their downfall_.’

‘...and yet—‘

“Akira? Why are you crying?”

“The cat...we need to save the cat!”

Two boys stood before a black cat huddled in a box, a hole-ridden umbrella above it. Its fur was slicked against its sides, one leg twisted at an awkward angle.

The blonde boy shook his head. “It will just die. There’s no point.”

The dark-haired boy whimpered, tears streaming down his face. “We have to! Please, Ryo!”

Ryo sighed, picking up the cat. It barely protested as it was carried. “Fine. Where do you want to take this thing?”

“Miki! Miki’s parents might know what to do!” Akira suggested. Ryo opened his mouth to speak, but Akira was already dragging him away.

It was weeks later when the cat was up on its feet again, meowing loudly as Akira played with it. Ryo watched from afar, only barely interested in the scene before him.

‘--and yet, and yet, perhaps that can save them.’

\--

Many years later, at a high school, a brown-haired girl jogged slowly beside Akira, a smile on her face. “C’mon, Akira! You gotta outrace me one of these days!” she chirped.

Akira huffed and puffed as he struggled to keep up with Miki, face red and sweaty before he slowed to a halt. “Miki...you’re still too fast even when you’re holding back.”

Miki stopped jogging as well, chuckling. “Not on purpose! You’re getting better, at least!”

Akira could only nod, collapsing onto the pavement. “I think I just need to sit for five years...”

Miki sat beside him, gently patting his shoulder. “There, there. So, when’s Ryo coming home?” she asked.

“Some time this week, if not today,” Akira responded, sitting up. “Don’t really know. He just texted me saying ‘Coming home this week’ without any real date.”

“Huh,” Miki said before looking up at the sky. “...he hasn’t really changed since we were kids, huh?”

“Not really,” Akira replied. “Does that make it better or worse?”

Miki shrugged. “Heck if I know. Did he say where he’s meeting you?”

“I believe right here will suffice,” Ryo’s voice spoke up, and Akira and Miki jumped. Ryo stood behind them, clad in a giant white coat.

“Ryo! You’ve turned into a giant marshmallow! America has robbed us of our best friend and turned him into food, Miki!” Akira cried, flopping on the ground with fake tears in his eyes.

“Alas! Poor Ryo! I knew him well!” Miki chimed in, wiping at her eyes as though she was crying. “What could he have done to deserve this!”

“...are you both done?” Ryo asked, rolling his eyes.

Akira and Miki hopped up, hugging Ryo. “It’s good to see you again, Ryo! Oh man, you’ve gotta tell us what America is like this time of year!” Akira said, a bright tone in his voice.

“Plus any funny stories from where you’re teaching!” Miki chimed in.

“I’ll get to that, relax, but first off...what do you know about demons, Akira?” Ryo asked, wriggling out of the group hug.

“Demons? Uh...depends? I mean, are we talking yokai and stuff like that, or...” Akira answered.

“No, not yokai. I mean _demons._ Monsters and the like,” Ryo corrected. “You see, before I came back here to Japan, I was asked to meet with a Russian scholar.”

His face darkened. “He was researching something in the Amazon, but when I encountered him...he was turning into something inhuman. He deliberately set himself on fire in front of me.”

Miki shuddered, shoulders stiff. “That’s...”

“What he was researching...I have reason to believe he was looking into demons. They’re ferocious, primal beings that seek only to hunt and kill, and not much else. On top of that...”

Miki swore Ryo’s gaze flickered to Akira for a moment. “It’s possible to merge with a demon and become stronger, or so I’ve gathered from his research notes. If he was trying to do that, it’s worth looking into in order to see why.”

He cleared his throat. “Akira...and Miki, if you wish, I believe I’ve pinpointed a possible place where demons will be summoned tonight. I want to check it out, truth be told,” Ryo declared.

“Wait, for real?! You’re joking!” Akira gasped.

“I wish I was. Akira, Miki, will you accompany me?” Ryo asked, holding out his hand.

“Let me contact dad first!” Miki quickly said, taking out her phone and texting as fast as she could. “I’ll say we’re studying at your place, Ryo, if it’s okay?”

Ryo nodded. “Contact your dad, then let’s go.”

—

Akira, Miki, and Ryo stood at a large door later that evening, finding themselves in an abandoned building. Even from outside, Akira could hear the bass thumping in the room beyond, the muffled voices from people inside.

“This is the place?” Miki asked Ryo. “I can hear music...”

“I’m certain. I’ve quadruple-checked my coordinates,” Ryo confirmed. “This likely won’t be what you’re expecting.”

Miki pursed her lips together. “What if things go wrong with this, Ryo? What’s your back-up plan?”

“I have guns,” Ryo said, shrugging. When Miki fixed a hard look at him, he innocently looked back. “What?”

“...guns? Really?” Miki groaned, slapping her forehead. “This doesn’t sound like it’s going to go well.”

“Relax, and trust in me,” Ryo said. He pushed open the doors, and instantly they were greeted by a cacophony of loud music and bright, neon lights. Just up ahead, Miki and Akira could see the room thrumming with people of all shapes and sizes, the stench of alcohol heavy in the air.

The flashing lights and loud music instantly created a pit in Akira’s stomach, mouth going dry.

“No,” he mumbled.

“Come on, Akira, it’s just a party!” Ryo said, nudging him forward.

“Noooo no no no no. No. This is not a place I want to be at,” Akira replied, digging his heels in.

Miki stepped forward, gripping Akira’s hand. “If we’re doing this, we do it together! If it gets to be too much, then we’ll go home, okay?”

Akira blinked, then nodded slowly. “...alright.”

The three stepped past the door, and instantly a young woman dressed in a very thin bikini accosted them, pills in her hands. “Welcome to the party! Have a little something on the house!” she greeted.

Akira held up his hands, shaking his head. “No--No thank you, I’m good.”

“Same here,” Miki added. “I appreciate the offer, but we’re good! Seriously!”

“Suit yourselves~!” the lady said, walking away. Miki and Akira exchanged grimaces as she walked away.

“Okay, this might be kind of a bad idea. Ryo, are you sure about demons being at this party?” Miki asked.

“Yes, but it’ll take some time. Go and sit somewhere if you don’t want to help draw it out,” Ryo replied, waving the two of them off.

Akira and Miki found a booth nearby to sit down in, watching the other attendees. The dance floor was choked with people in various states of being undressed, some grinding against each other, others making out, and some--

Akira ripped his gaze away, not wanting to finish that sentence. “I expected demon hunting to be...less of this,” he mumbled.

“Are you doing okay, Akira?” Miki asked, looking over at him. “This sort of thing isn’t fun, but hopefully we won’t be here too long!”

Akira shrugged. “Couldn’t really tell you one way or the other. I thought we’d be exploring actual abandoned buildings and not clubs!”

“Same here! I hope Ryo knows what he’s doing!” Miki said.

Akira could only nod and look around the dance floor, trying not to look at any couples getting intimate with each other. The more he listened to the music and observed the party-goers, the more something started bubbling up in his thoughts. He tried to push it away, but something about this place seemed vaguely familiar, like something straight out of a dream.

“...Miki, question. I haven’t...been to any parties like these before, have I?” Akira asked before he could stop himself.

“Huh? No, you haven’t, Akira,” Miki responded, blinking confusedly. “Are you okay?”

“Not sure. I--I don’t know how to describe it, it’s like deja vu--”

A scream cut through the air, and Akira’s blood ran cold. He turned back to the dance floor and saw the woman handing out pills changing into a grotesque shape. Her limbs elongated, her jaws stretched until they were halfway down her chest, and Akira had to tear his eyes away before the transformation proceeded and further.

Unfortunately for him, he happened to see another party-goer change, arms changing into wings and feet forming talons. A more mild change in comparison, but still enough to make Akira stumble backwards, eyes wide.

“Miki--they’re--holy _shit--_ ” Akira gasped out.

“I know! Holy--” Miki started. She was interrupted by a larger demon throwing a chunk of the floor at them, and the two barely dodged it in time.

“Akira?!” Miki shouted. “Are you okay?!”

“I’m fine! Uh--hide, try to get the exit or something!” Akira spouted out before fleeing.

“Wait, don’t...” Miki started before she sighed. She ducked back behind the rubble, pulling out her cellphone.

[From Dad: Miki, are you and Akira still out?]

Miki sighed, texting back [To Dad: Yeah, we’re still out. We might be a little while, sorry!]

She stared down at the message she sent, and a part of her wanted to add ‘Oh yeah, that’s a maybe because our mutual friend dragged us out at night and we might all get killed because of monsters. Sorry!’ She quickly shook her head and dismissed the thought. Woof, too dark.

An unearthly roar seemed to shake the building down to its foundations, and Miki peaked out to see...something standing where Akira once was. It had turquoise skin where it wasn’t covered in black...fur? Feathers? Scales? A large pair of bat-like wings flared out of its back, a long ropey tail coming out of its back. Its eyes were pure white, a black mask of some sort covering its head.

“A...Akira?” Miki whispered, heart thumping in her chest.

The thing roared again as it dove after another demon, ripping it apart with its claw-covered hands. Yellow blood splattered the ground, and Miki flinched despite herself.

“Akira? Akira?!” she repeated. Was Akira gone like the rest of those people?

Akira didn’t hear her, and continued to rip and tear into any demon that was so much as within arm’s reach. Miki was unable to tear her eyes away from the carnage, watching as pieces of demon ended up on the ground alongside what human corpses there were. Yellow splattered the ground, mixing with red, and an awful smell filled the room.

“...he’s impressive,” Ryo said, his voice making Miki jump. She saw him slowly crawl out from under the demon corpse he was under, camcorder in hand. “He’s killing them like they’re nothing...”

“Ryo, what exactly are you doing?” Miki questioned, stepping out from her hiding place.

Ryo froze, before slowly turning to look at her. “You’re still alive?!”

“You bet I am! I’m more surprised you are after the demon fell on you!” Miki responded, raising her voice and stepping closer toward him. “Why are you recording this? What happened to Akira?”

“Well, you see...I’m filming this because--well, what if he doesn’t remember tonight?” Ryo asked. “What if--”

Miki held up a hand, shaking her head. “...let me just stop you right there. Ryo, look, I don’t know you as well as Akira does, but be honest here! A bunch of people just got slaughtered or turned into demons, and those who were demons are getting killed by what I’m pretty sure is Akira!” she said, gesturing to Akira still fighting a ways away. “Tell me what’s going on here!”

Ryo stared at her, mouth agape, before shaking his head. “No, you wouldn’t understand. You’d be better off forgetting tonight.”

“Try me! I’m not an idiot, Ryo!” Miki shouted. “I mean, look, if this is some weird fetish you have, I’m not going to judge...”

“...I don’t know whether to laugh or cry at the fact you think this is a fetish,” Ryo said, quirking an eyebrow.

Before they could argue any further, Akira landed before them both, and Miki’s blood turned to ice in her veins. He was covered in yellow, looking down at them both with those blank eyes of his.

“Ah--Akira? You’re...You’re still in there, right?” Miki asked, unable to keep the tremor out of her voice.

Akira continued to stare, until his fur receded into his body and his skin returned from that turquoise color, his body returning to normal. However...his skin was now darker, his hair was wilder, there were dark markings around his eyes, and he seemed taller than before. Once the last of his other form had vanished, he fell to his knees, then to the ground.

“...well, he survived, at least,” Ryo noted, bending down to pick him up.

“ _At least?_ Was he not supposed to survive?” Miki questioned, folding her arms.

“No, it’s--look, just go home. Pretend like tonight never happened,” Ryo ordered.

“No, you don’t order me around like this!” Miki snapped, teeth bared. “You don’t get to be this mysterious person who knows what’s going on but leaves people out of the loop on purpose! You don’t get to pull all this crap, Ryo Asuka! Tell me what’s going on!”

Ryo fixed a steady look on her, but before he could speak, Akira moaned loudly. “Miki...run...”

Ryo looked down at Akira with an almost fond look, before looking back up at Miki. “...I don’t know as much as you think I do, but if you’re that concerned about him, then help me take him home. Keep an eye on him, and pretend like this night never happened.”

Miki nodded, and the two left the ruined building with Akira in tow.


	2. You join the underground cabaret today

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (well hey there tell me your name)
> 
> Akira tries to adjust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> god please let me know if any tags or warnings need to be added, I am doing my best otl

redyellowblackredyellowblackredyellowblack

‘my name is akira, my name is akira, my name is akira, my name is akira’

“--ira? Akira, are you awake yet?”

Akira’s eyes snapped open, and he sat up in a flash. His stomach churned, his skin felt like it wanted to just crawl off of him, some part of his brain chanted ‘this is all wrong, this is all wrong’ and he wanted it to _stop._

“Akira? Hey, are you okay?” Miki’s voice cut through the buzzing in his head. She gripped his shoulder, and he forced himself to look at her. Miki looked none worse for the wear after last night, but--

Last night. It all returned in a haze of neon and blood. Demons, Miki was in trouble, Ryo almost died--

“Miki?” Akira croaked, looking down at his hands. They were darker than he remembered, the nails just a bit sharper--

“I’m okay, Akira. Ryo is okay, we’re all alive,” Miki responded. “How are you doing?”

“Bad,” Akira answered. “Like I want to tear off my skin and never interact with anyone again.”

“You can stay home today, I can tell mom and dad you’re sick!” Miki suggested. “I can’t imagine you’re feeling a-okay after last night.”

Akira shook his head, pushing himself out of bed. “...no. No, I don’t think I should stay home over this. I can handle it.”

“Alright. Let me know if you change your mind, alright? Breakfast is ready downstairs!” Miki said, leaving the room.

Akira grunted in response, stumbling toward the bathroom. His guts recoiled at the mere sight of how different he looked now, how wild his hair was, his darker skin, the markings around his eyes...

He made himself get dressed for school, despite every bit of him begging to just stay home and pretend to be sick with a cold. He walked down the stairs carefully, not trusting his legs to remember how to do so on their own.

“Morning Ak-- _whoa._ ” Taro stopped mid-greeting to gape at Akira, eyes wide and sparkling. Mr. and Mrs. Makimura turned to look at Akira, eyes widening as well.

“I thought when Miki said Ryo wanted to try a make-over on you, I thought he meant something simpler than that,” Mr. Makimura noted.

Akira shrugged, making a mental note to thank Miki later. “Is it alright? I was worried it’d be too garish.”

“Well...” Mr. Makimura began before sighing. “It technically isn’t against your school’s dress code, is it? I’m not a huge fan of it, but I suppose it’s alright.”

Akira took a seat at the table, nodding. Miki flashed a thumbs up, winking, and the desire to rip off his own skin lessened.

\--

“Hey, is that Akira Fudo?”

“He got a makeover! Look at him!”

“No way, that’s a totally different person! He looks like an adult!”

All eyes were on Akira and Miki as they made their way to school, other students staring slack-jawed at Akira’s new look.

“What are you guys staring at?” Miki questioned, raising her voice. “It’s the same old Akira, he just has a different look now!”

A few students flinched before shying away with red faces. Miki huffed, leading Akira onward. “Ignore them, alright? Let me know if they get to be too much.”

Akira nodded. “Thanks.”

It felt like the entire school had their eyes on him as he walked through the halls. His teachers were stunned to see him look like a completely different person, triple-checking attendance to make sure no one was pulling the wool over them.

“Yes, I swear it’s me, Akira Fudo,” Akira said when it happened the fourth time. “No, I’m not a student from elsewhere pulling a prank.”

Miki couldn’t help but laugh a little as Akira recounted the day so far on the way to lunch. “I’m sorry, this is serious and all that hardly anyone recognizes you, but none of your teachers thought it was you?”

“Nope. They thought I was another student trying to be a smartass or something,” Akira responded. “Ugh. Thanks for covering me at breakfast today.”

“No problem! Taro looked like he was over the moon when he saw you like that,” Miki noted.

“I hope he doesn’t think this is cool!” Akira groaned, running a hand down his face. Miki just patted his shoulder sympathetically.

\--

After class came the track meet. Akira’s track suit felt tighter around him now that he had grown somewhat, and he knew more than a few people were staring at him as he was stretching. He took his position next to Miki, hands resting on the ground.

“On your marks...get set...”

Bang! Akira took off like a shot, outrunning Miki by a mile and a half. The deja vu feeling resurfaced as he lowered himself to the ground, almost running on all fours.

‘ _I’ve done this before, haven’t I? No, I couldn’t have, I’d know for sure if I have! Then why--_ ’

“Akira, look out!!” Miki called out, and Akira focused too late to see he was crashing into a bush. He yelped loudly as Miki hurried to his aid.

“Woof, he hasn’t changed a bit...”

“He outran Miki in seconds, but he’s still really clumsy.”

“Are you okay?” Miki asked, helping Akira climb out of the bushes. “That was an awful tumble...”

“Peachy,” Akira said, brushing leaves off himself. “Today isn’t my day, huh?”

“I mean, you were fast!” Miki said, walking back to the track with him. “You beat me pretty easily, Akira! That’s gotta be the fastest I’ve ever seen anyone run!”

Akira opened his mouth to reply before slowly shaking his head. “...no. No, this...Miki, I really feel like I’ve done this before somehow.”

“Eh? How?” Miki asked, lowering her voice.

“I just--I can’t explain, all of this just feels like something I’ve done and I don’t know why,” Akira said, shaking his head. “The Sabbath, fusing with a demon, outrunning you...”

Miki gently squeezed Akira’s hand. “I can’t give you answers myself, but...breathe, okay? Just breathe before you get overwhelmed.”

He nodded, and began to take deep breaths as they sat on the bleachers. The rest of the club meeting passed by fairly quickly once the incident with Akira crashing was brushed aside, Akira tapping on his knee to count the seconds between each breath.

“Do you think Ryo will want to see us after the club?” he asked after some time.

“I mean, probably. Has he texted you?” Miki asked back.

Akira took out his phone, and nodded after a minute. “Yep. He wants us to come over.”

\--

Ryo had it pretty good, Miki noted as they climbed the stairs to his apartment. The part of town he lived in occasionally was super fancy, the stairwell clean as a whistle. The sixth floor held Ryo’s apartment--666.

Akira knocked on the door. “Ryo! It’s me and Miki!” he called. The door instantly swung open, Ryo clad in all white minus the coat.

“I’m glad you could make it,” he said, stepping aside to let the two of them in.

Miki’s eyes stung at how white Ryo’s place was. It was so clean and sterile, it looked like he barely even lived in it.

“Ryo, please paint this place a different color or get some furniture to contrast or something,” Miki jokingly begged. “It’s so white it makes snow look dull.”

“It’s my aesthetic, not yours,” Ryo said, returning to his chair and pulling up his laptop. “You didn’t have to come here.”

“Of course I had to!” Miki huffed, plopping down on the couch opposite him. Akira sat beside her, and instantly she could hear his stomach growl. His face turned bright red as Ryo looked up from his laptop.

“Sorry, I swore I ate lunch, but it’s like I have a bottomless stomach now!” Akira apologized.

“Relax. Jenny?”

A plate of food, all different kinds and sizes of meat, was set down beside Akira. He immediately bit into a turkey leg the moment the food was set down beside him, eating as though he was a starved man. Miki looked up to see a woman with yellow eyes and a shock of red hair glance briefly at her before leaving the room.

“That’s my assistant, Jenny,” Ryo said as Miki turned back to him. “She’s been with me for a while now.”

Miki could only nod. Akira pauses between gobbling down food to comment, “She’s pretty interesting-looking!”

Miki cleared her throat, looking at Ryo. “So what does it mean for Akira that he fused with a demon?”

“He is now a human-devil hybrid. He has the strength of the demon Amon,” Ryo declared.

“...and how do you know it was Amon he fused with?” Miki asked, quirking an eyebrow.

“It’s—he fits descriptions fitting Amon in his demon form,” Ryo quickly explained. “It would be my best guess that is who he fused with.”

“Okay. And another question: just why were you filming Akira back at the rave?” Miki pressed.

Ryo shifted on his couch a little, frowning. “...I want to get footage of demons. Hard proof they exist.”

“Why? What exactly is this going to accomplish?” Miki questioned, standing up. “Because all this will cause a panic! Is that what you want?”

“No, I want to inform people! This is a serious matter, Makimura!” Ryo argued.

“For an anthropologist professor, you’re the biggest idiot about people I’ve seen, and that’s just from this conversation alone!” Miki snapped. “Film it for posterity or whatever, but if you put that footage out there, no one is going to react well to it!”

“Guys, stop!” Akira shouted, placing himself between Miki and Ryo. “Can’t we be civil about this?”

“I’ll be civil when Ryo stops lying about everything!” Miki responded. “We deserve to know the truth, don’t we?!”

Ryo crossed his arms and looked away, a scowl crossing his face. “...Akira is different now,” he said, slowly. “He’ll develop a strong appetite and a possible violent streak. That is what I know based off my observations of the scholar I was working with. Anything else is out of my grasp.”

“Thank you! Was that so hard to say?” Miki asked.

Ryo just huffed loudly. Akira sat back down with Miki, and the three sat in an uncomfortable silence. Eventually, Akira cleared his throat. “So what do I do now?”

“I assume you want to use your power to protect, not to hurt?” Ryo guessed. “Then you should go after demons threatening humans. Not all of the demons who fuse with humans are subdued quite like Amon was.”

“Okay, and how do I do that?” Akira pressed.

“Look around at night. Be wary of those you know who suddenly change like you. Trust nobody,” Ryo said, returning to his laptop.

“I am _not_ going to go all ‘paranoid demon hunter’ Ryo!” Akira protested. “What if I tried to show mercy?”

“Then you’re just a fool. Demons cannot be reasoned with,” Ryo said without skipping a beat. “To them, it’s kill or be killed.”

Akira didn’t respond, frowning deeply. At once, Miki felt a light touch on her shoulder, and looked up to see Jenny.

“Huh?”

Ryo looked up, raising an eyebrow. “Do you need her, Jenny?”

Jenny nodded. “I need to speak with her,” she said in a low, solid voice. “If you don’t mind, sir.”

“Go ahead,” Ryo responded, making a shooing motion with a hand. “I don’t need her right now.”

Jenny led Miki to a different room, one Miki could only assume was Jenny’s by the way it looked: it was rather quiet and small, posters with brightly colored, almost psychedelic patterns adorning the white walls that drew Miki’s attention. For furniture, there was a bed, a small table with a chair at it...and that was it.

Jenny closed the door, and Miki suddenly felt a pit open up in her stomach. “...what do you need me for?” she asked.

“Let me be honest with you,” Jenny said, looking directly into Miki’s eyes. “This is not the first time you and your friends have been through this. And if you listen to me, it can be the last.”


End file.
